


Freak

by NurseMedusa



Series: Voices in our Heads [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Abandonment Issues, And his parents highkey suck, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Drinking, Gen, Michael is just a tad messed up, Mind reader AU, Oneshot, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 08:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12813135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NurseMedusa/pseuds/NurseMedusa
Summary: Michael had never exactly been normal.  Though, he had one thing that set him outside of the normal circle of 'not normal' kids.He could read minds.





	Freak

**Author's Note:**

  * For [waywardflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardflower/gifts).
  * Inspired by [your twisted thoughts are like snow on the rooftops](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12754155) by [waywardflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardflower/pseuds/waywardflower). 



> This is based on a lovely fic called "Your Twisted Thoughts are like Snow on the Rooftops" by 'Waywardflower' and I highly recommend it if you like this.

Michael had never exactly been normal.  Now, when most people describe themselves as ‘not normal’ they’re talking about having weird interests, not being popular, or a bizarre quirk that set them outside of normal social circles.  And, while Michael certainly checked all those boxes, there was one more thing that even set him outside of being a normal kind of not normal.

 

He could read minds.

 

Now, he wasn’t exactly sure what deity decided to bestow this ‘gift’ upon him, but he was sure that he wanted to have a fistfight with whatever god was watching him and did this to him.  See, mind reading isn’t exactly as convenient or as fun as everyone would like to make it seem, sometimes it makes people abandon you, sometimes it can make you do crazy things, and, other times, it can force you to watch your best friend in the entire world do some pretty stupid shit.

 

But we’re not quite there yet.

 

By the time Michael was four, he knew he was different.  He could hear people talking even if their mouths weren’t moving.  By the time he was five, he decided he hated this.  It was always loud no matter where he went or what he did, anytime there was a person around him the nonstop chatter would echo.  His parents didn’t know what to do, they only knew that they were sick of him responding to their unsaid words.  He frequently got scolded for talking about the things people never said aloud.

 

“You look pretty today,” his mom would say to one of her friends.

 

_ Oh god, she looks awful, did she just roll out of bed? _

 

“Why would you say that?” He’d ask her, “You just said she looked pretty, don’t be mean.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You just said she looks awful,” all the adults around would scowl at him and more mean words would follow.  Unfortunately, this was far from a rare occurrence.  So much so, that one day his parents slapped a pair of headphones on his head and sat him in the backseat of their car.  For once, the thoughts were drowned out, being replaced with beautiful music.  He cared not where they were going, simply happy that his head was quiet.

 

He didn’t even notice as his parents drove halfway across the state of New Jersey just to dump him on a random doorstep.

 

“Just wait a minute,” his mom said, pulling the headphones away as she sat him on a stone step, “Daddy and I just have to get some things from the car,” Michael nodded, leaning back on the door and listening to the sounds of dreams from the dark neighborhood, tuning his parents’ minds out.  A small suitcase was thrown down in front of him by his father who didn’t even spare a second glance.  The two adults marched back to the car, leaving him to only catch one final thought before they sped away into the night.

 

_ I can’t take it anymore!  But we’ll finally be free of that freak and get to have a normal life. _

 

His mom thought as she got into the car.

 

“Mommy..?” He quietly asked, standing up as the car drove off.  Choosing to not question what he had heard, he decided to be a good child and wait.

 

_ They only need to go get something, they’ll be back. _

 

He told himself, over and over, until the sun finally crawled into the sky.  Louder thoughts began to echo around his mind, the world was waking up for the day.  Soon, the door he was leaning against opened behind him, sending him backwards onto a ‘Welcome’ mat.  Two women stared down at him.

 

_ What’s going on? _

 

_ Who is he? _

 

Questions surged through their minds.  He smiled at them.

 

“My name’s Michael!  My parents told me to wait here while they went to go get something, but they’ll be back soon!”

 

They never came back.

 

By the time he was six, his new moms had decided to try and help him with his problems.  They got him a shiny new pair of headphones along with the adoption papers, making his name officially Michael Mell right in time to start kindergarten a year late.  His moms set up a special meeting with the teacher to tell her that he’s allowed to wear headphones in class to help him with personal issues.  Luckily, the teacher allowed it without a doctor’s note, leaving him in the back of the room with his headphones and a hoodie on.  As the other kids ran around and introduced themselves to each other, he stayed put and made a name tag for his desk.  Some poked him on the shoulder as he colored the piece of paper in.  Looking up, another boy smiled at him.

 

“Hi!” The other boy declared, waving eccentrically, “I’m Jeremy!” He stated.  Michael turned his music down and pulled his headphones off, letting the voices fill his head again, with most of the thoughts around him being about food and names.

 

“Michael,” he replied, turning to continue coloring his paper.  He wouldn’t have given the boy a second thought if he hadn’t heard his reaction.

 

_ Is he going to ignore me too? _

 

Frowning, Michael looked back at the boy who’s grin had been replaced with a look of sadness.

 

_ I just want someone to play with.  Why does no one wanna play with me? _

 

“Do you wanna color together?” Michael hesitantly asked, handing Jeremy a blue marker from the box on his desk.  Jeremy’s face lit up like a bright night sky.

 

_ My favorite color! _

 

“Blue’s my favorite color!” He declared, grabbing a blank piece of paper, “How’d you know?” Michael smiled back at him.

 

“Lucky guess,” for the first time in a while, Michael didn’t mind the voices.

 

As luck would have it, Jeremy’s house was only a few blocks away from Michael’s.  Looking back, Michael realized that luck helped out in their relationship a lot.  Most of all, though, he was lucky that the two had stayed in each other’s lives for so long.

 

But that’s when his luck started to run out.

 

He thought he was starting to lose it during the beginning of sophomore year, but only for a bit.  It’s when things started to change at school.  Rich, a guy whom nobody normally spared a second thought (and Michael KNEW that they weren’t), was suddenly the talk of the school.  The next time Michael saw him, a strange figure was following him.  No one else acknowledged the ‘shadow’ tailing Rich, they only noticed the changes to Rich himself.

 

_ They love me! _

 

Rich thought, smiling.

 

_ “Of course,” _ his shadow replied,  _ “With a Squip, you never have to worry about them not liking you ever again!”  _ Michael wasn’t quite sure what a Squip was, but he was sure that it was bad news.

 

Everything started to go downhill after an ordinary day at school.  Junior year had gone into full swing, the leaves were starting to fall off the trees for the year, and everything was as it had always been.

 

“So, what do you think?” Jeremy asked as the two played video games in his room after school, just like they always did.

 

_ He’s gonna think I’m a fucking moron for even considering it. _

 

“He’s scamming you!” Michael declared, “He’s scamming you super weirdly!”

 

_ He thinks I’m a moron. _

 

“But what if he’s not?” Jeremy countered, “This could be huge!  All I have to do is give the guy who torments me six hundred…”

 

_ Oh god he’s totally scamming me. _

 

“He’s totally scamming me,” he groaned, throwing himself backwards in the bean bag, “I’m doomed to be a loser till the end of the world!  And probably after it, too,” Michael glanced over at him, studying his thoughts of the incident with Rich.

 

“Did he say where he gets these ‘squids’ or whatever?” Michael asked.  A look of realization dawned on Jeremy’s face.

 

“He did!” He exclaimed, “He said that his hook-up’s at the Pay Less,” Jeremy sat up, “We could go there and check it out ourselves, just to see if it’s legit.”

 

“Just make sure that, if you become cool, you don’t get too cool for…” Michael bit his lip, “Video games, okay..?” Jeremy’s mind instantly rejected the notion.

 

“No way, man!” Smiling, he reassured Michael, “I would never.  We’ll still always be a team.”

 

“Even if you’re cool?”

 

“Even if I’m cool,” Michael smiled back at him, hiding his worries over the whole ‘Squip situation’.

 

“Then, what are we waiting for?”

  
  


~~~

  
  


Jeremy’s mind was racing the entire car trip, Michael would’ve been scared of getting too wrapped up in his thoughts and losing focus on driving except he was saying everything he thought out loud.

 

“I mean, what if it works?  Is it like drugs?  Oh my god am I gonna get high?” Michael groaned.

 

“You act like you’ve never been high before!”

 

“Well, never in public!” Michael laughed as he parked the car.

 

“Relax, it’s gonna be fine,” he said before stepping onto the cracked cement ground.  Jeremy took a deep breath, “Okay?”

 

“Okay,” he replied.

 

_ Let’s do this. _

 

Michael pulled his headphones and hood up as they stepped into the mall, not particularly feeling up to being overwhelmed by the sheer number of thoughts being cast off in the vicinity.  The two walked into the discount shoe store, Jeremy tensing up at the  _ ‘ping’ _ sound the door made as they stepped inside.  Walking over to the counter, Michael saw two men towering over them.  He pulled his headphones down and backed up.  One of the men turned to the other.

 

_ “That kid in the blue jacket, he’s here for a Squip,”  _ he explained, smirking.  Michael decided he didn’t like that man, his voice was a bit too cunning for his tastes.  The other man smirked.  Jeremy rambled on, trying to seem inconspicuous, but the man blew him off.

 

“It’s from Japan, it’s a grey oblong pill,” both men spoke in unison, successfully spooking Michael, “Quantum nanotechnology CPU, the quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and it tells you what to do,” it took Michael a few seconds to realize that the second person wasn’t a person at all, but a projection.  His image flickered, pixels flying around as parts of his body glitched in and out of existence.

 

_ Is that his Squip?!  Rich’s doesn’t look ANYTHING like THAT. _

 

“H-how did you know why I’m here?” Jeremy stammered out.  The man laughed.

 

“Just look at yourself, kid,” the smile was still present on his face.

 

_ “Take him to the back,” _ the Squip said.  The man complied, leading Jeremy and Michael to a room labeled ‘EMPLOYEES ONLY’.  Once inside, he reached for a box of shoes on the bottom shelf of a shoe rack.

 

“Ladies running shoes?” Jeremy questioned.

 

_ Same question, every damn time. _

 

Michael wasn’t sure how great he was feeling anymore about Jeremy buying ‘cool drugs’ from this guy.  He opened the box, holding it out to Jeremy.  The box was full of small, grey pills.  Jeremy reached inside only to have the box jerked back.

 

“Just so we’re clear,” the man started, cradling the box, “This is untested technology and it’s not exactly legal, which is why you’re paying for it with cash in the back of a shoe store.  I hold no responsibility for what you might do to it or what it might do to you,” the Squip stood behind him, still smirking.  Jeremy opened his mouth to ask what he was talking about, but the man cut him off, “To activate!” He shouted, “Take it with Mountain Dew, I don’t know why!”

 

_ “Don’t forget,” _ he said.

 

“Oh!  And this is important,” he started when the  _ ‘ping’ _ at the door went off again, “WE’RE SOLD OUT!” He shouted, still clutching the box.

 

“Of...shoes..?” The customer asked.  The Squip glared at him.

 

“Oh, shoes,” he muttered, “You’re here for shoes,” he opened the box again, handing a lone pill to Jeremy.

 

“Wait, you were saying something important!” Jeremy exasperated.

 

“Yeah!” The man answered, “All sales final,” he and his Squip explained in unison before he put the box back and pushed the two out of the store.  Michael and Jeremy stared at each other.

 

_ That was...something. _

 

Jeremy stared at the pill in his hand.

 

“Let’s go get some Mountain Dew.”

 

One short purchase later, the two were sitting in the mall’s food court, a can of Mountain Dew and a lone pill on a napkin sitting on the table between them.

 

_ I must’ve totally lost my fucking mind, this thing looks like a goddamn tic tac. _

 

“I hope you’re worth four hundred dollars,” Jeremy said to the pill.  Michael smirked.

 

“Uh, four hundred and one,” he pushed the can closer to Jeremy, “Don’t forget the Mountain Dew,” Jeremy opened the can.

 

“We should split it,” he said, “You helped me get it.”

 

_ Why am I trying to back out now?  I should just take it. _

 

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Michael frowned at Jeremy’s thoughts, “Besides, I like to think that once you’re cool, you’ll owe me,” Jeremy nodded.

 

_ Well shit, we’re doing this. _

 

“Here goes no-” he paused, “Well, everything,” without another thought, he threw the pill into his mouth and downed the entire can of Mountain Dew.  The two waited.

 

“How does it taste?” Michael asked, smiling.  Jeremy smiled back.

 

“Minty!”

 

“How do you feel?” Jeremy frowned again.

 

_ Oh god, I fell for the most elaborate scam prank ever. _

 

“Like a chump!” Michael frowned.  He had seen Rich’s Squip, so he knew that they actually did exist.  The guy must’ve sold Jeremy a dummy pill.

 

“Nothing?” He asked, Jeremy shook his head, “Try to say something cool!”

 

“I think I just blew my Bar Mitzvah money on a wintergreen tic tac,” he groaned.

 

_ I am a fucking idiot. _

 

Jeremy slammed his forehead into the table.

 

“Just leave me to mourn here forever,” he requested.

 

“Five minutes!” Michael declared, slipping his headphones on halfway, “But then I’m meeting you right back here!” Jeremy looked up in confusion.

 

“Where are you going?” He grinned.

 

“This guy at Spencer’s Gifts is hooking me up with a case of Crystal Pepsi!” Michael was barely containing his excitement.  Several questions raced through Jeremy’s mind.

 

“But wasn’t that discontinued in the nineties?”

 

“That’s what makes it so awesome!” Michael raced off, deciding that it’d be best to leave Jeremy alone for a few minutes.  He pulled his hood on the rest of the way and turned his music up, drowning out the usual surrounding cloud of noise with something more relaxing.

  
  


~~~

  
  


After dropping the bag of vintage soda off in his car, he walked back into the mall, expecting to find Jeremy still mourning in the food court.  Instead, he found tables that had been hastily shoved aside and a few confused bystanders.  Sliding his headphones off, he walked around.

 

_ What happened? _

 

_ Is that kid okay? _

 

_ Did he have a seizure or something?! _

 

Spotting a familiar face, he made his way around the crowd.

 

“Jenna!” He called out.  They weren’t really friends, but she was the gossip queen of their school, so she was probably his best bet, “What happened?”

 

_ Did he not see?  Isn’t Michael always with Jeremy? _

 

“I think Jeremy just had some sort of seizure or serious panic attack,” she explained, “But then he got up perfectly fine and just ran off,” Michael glanced around.

 

“Thanks,” he slid his headphones back on, “I’m gonna go find him!” Without waiting for a reply, he ran off.  If he focused enough, he should be able to pick out Jeremy’s mind amidst all the others in the mall.

 

_ Okay, okay, think, think!  I just need to find Jeremy. _

 

Closing his eyes, he tried focusing.  He almost didn’t realize when Jeremy walked right past him.

 

“Jeremy!” He smiled, but no response was given.  Instead, the other boy just kept walking forward, occasionally nodding.

 

_ I can’t believe that Brooke and Chloe were actually talking to me!  Positively! _

 

_ “That’s right, Jeremy,” _ a chilling voice replied,  _ “You see, with me, you’ll never have to worry about social interaction, I can tell you exactly what to do to help you be more chill.” _

 

_ Thought, it sucks that Michael left the mall without even coming back to say bye. _

 

_ “It’s fine, you should walk home anyway, it’ll help build your stamina,”  _ Michael realized quickly enough that the man in a trench coat tailing his friend was none other than Jeremy’s Squip.  Reaching out, Michael tried to grab Jeremy’s attention.

 

“Jeremy..?”

 

Not even a single thought was thrown his way.

  
  


~~~

  
  


Michael trudged in and out of classes the next day with his headphones on.  Jeremy had failed to take notice, instead weaving in and out of classes while talking with the Squip.  It wasn’t till the very end of the day that Jeremy’s behavior changed.  Walking around the corner to his locker, Michael accidentally slammed right into Jeremy.

 

_...Michael..? _

 

“...Michael..?” He looked confused while his Squip simply glared, “Where’ve you been all day?” Michael glared at him.

 

“Really?  So you’re not the one who’s been avoiding me?!” He asked.

 

_ Avoiding him?  What’s he talking about? _

 

_ “It’s called ‘Optic Nerve Blocking,”  _ his Squip answered, very much in a tone that Michael did not find trustworthy in the slightest,  _ “I have access to your optic nerves, I’ve been blocking Michael from your field of vision,” _ Jeremy looked visibly confused.

 

_ What?  Why? _

 

“Jeremy..?” Michael asked, not wanting to draw him technically eavesdropping on the silent conversation to attention.

 

_ “Michael is a link to Jeremy 1.0, to upgrade you have to be willing to make sacrifices,”  _ the Squip explained.

 

“Did it work?” Jeremy snapped out of his thoughts, slowly nodding.

 

“Jeremy,” Michael started, hiding his internal fears with a fake smile, “That’s amazing!  We’ve gotta test it out!  We’ve gotta celebrate!  We’ve gotta get stoned in my basement!”

 

_ Do we have to block him out? _

 

_ “If you actually want Christine, then yes,”  _ Michael didn’t like where this was going.

 

“Jeremy, are you coming?” He asked, holding his hand out.

 

_ Optic nerve blocking, on. _

 

The Squip grinned and snapped his fingers, a few blue pixels flying off.

 

_ “Now, let’s get to work!” _ Michael watched, helpless, as the Squip lead Jeremy over to where Brooke was standing, as the Squip lead Jeremy away without him being spared a second thought.

  
  


~~~

  
  


Halloween was normally a night to spend getting wasted with your friends, but not for Michael.  Instead, he was nestled in a bathtub at a party he snuck into to try and talk Jeremy into ditching his Squip.  So far, the plan wasn’t going as he had hoped.  He felt a sense of panic in the air as teens raced around the house, unwelcome drunken thoughts crashing wave after wave into his mind until he finally heard a familiar voice among the chaos.

 

_ The bathroom!  I can hide out there! _

 

Michael felt incredibly relieved to finally hear Jeremy, even if it was just some random thoughts he was casting off.  He heard the bathroom door close and lock, letting a sense of relief wash over him.

 

_ I just have to wait it out and let Jake pass out drunk, then I can slip away and pretend that never happened. _

 

Choosing not to question why Jeremy was hiding from Jake, Michael drew back the shower curtain.  Jeremy shrieked and leapt into the air, sailing across to the other side of the small room.

 

“Michael!” He shouted, still trying to calm himself down, “I didn’t know you were invited to this party.”

 

_ I thought he would’ve stayed home tonight, why’s he here? _

 

“I wasn’t, which is why I’m wearing this clever disguise,” he gestured to his sweater and Jeremy did some sort of a tipsy nod in his general direction.

 

“It-it’s good to see you again,” he said.  Michael frowned.

 

“You’re quiet, Squip got your tongue?” He knew it wasn’t around, but he wanted to make sure it wouldn’t abruptly turn on.

 

“No, it-it’s off…” Michael sighed.

 

_ If there was ever a good time to tell him… _

 

“Yeah, I know,” he said, Jeremy watching him in confusion.

 

_ What’s he talking about?  How could he know? _

 

“What?  How could you possibl-”

“Because I can read minds, Jeremy, okay?!” He shouted, all his feelings from the past few weeks pouring out, “I’ve been able to see that fucking thing since the moment you turned it on, I’ve been watching it destroy you every day at school and I haven’t been able to do anything to stop it!”

 

_ What the fuck? _

 

“That’s not-”

 

“Possible?  Dude, there’s a supercomputer that looks like a bootleg Keanu Reeves that follows you around and tells you how to live your life and mind reading is impossible?” Jeremy stared at him, shocked.

 

“I never told you what it looked like,” he realized, “How did you…” Jeremy’s voice trailed off.

 

_ Okay, if he can actually read minds, and he totally can’t because that’s ridiculous, then he’ll be able to say what I’m thinking.  Michael, if you can hear me, then say ‘dolphin, door, bottle, car, and trash can’. _

 

“Dolphin, door, bottle, car, trash can,” Michael deadpanned, “In that order,” Jeremy took a step back.

 

“How long have you been able to do this?” Michael sighed, staring at the dirtied tile floor.

 

“As long as I can remember,” he looked back up at Jeremy, “And, now that I have your attention, let’s talk about actually getting that thing out of your head,” Jeremy scowled.

 

“No way, man!” He protested, “Why would I want it out?”

 

“Jeremy, you can’t honestly tell me that you’re better off like this!” Michael retorted.

 

“But I am!”

 

_ Leave me alone.  I’m just fine, Michael! _

 

“No you’re not!  I’m not leaving you alone like this,” he blocked the door the second Jeremy thought of reaching for the handle, “I can see inside your head, I’ve always been able to, your mind’s never been more of a mess!” Jeremy glared at him.

 

_ Who does he think he is?! _

 

“Your friend!” Michael shouted, answering a silent question for the first time in years.

 

“Move,” Jeremy demanded, watching as  Michael pressed his body against the door.

 

“Or you’ll what?” The two glared at each other.

 

“Get out of my way, freak,” if he had said any other word, Michael would have been fine.

 

_ Freak _

 

The last thing his parents called him before dumping him on that doorstep, before throwing him out.  With just that one word, Michael was back on his moms’ doorstep twelve years ago, dead to the world and the people he thought cared about him.  He didn’t even notice at first, but Jeremy was gone, having run off somewhere else to his friends that weren’t  _ mind-reading freaks who ruin everything _ .

 

Michael sobbed and slumped to the ground, deciding to try and pretend that he didn’t exist and listen to everybody else’s problems to distract himself from his own.

 

_ Oh, Jake!  Oh, oh, OOHHH! _

 

Okay, maybe it was a bad idea to openly mind-read during a high school Halloween party.

 

_ I JUST NEED SOME MOUNTAIN DEW RED! _

 

Michael sighed, it sounded like Rich was having a fun night too.

 

_ SOMEONE HAS TO HAVE SOME!  I NEED TO GET THIS FUCKING THING OUT! _

 

Michael bolted up.  Slipping on his trusty headphones, he faded into the crowds to try and find Rich in the ever-loud cloud of thoughts surrounding him.

 

_ IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GET RID OF THIS DUMB FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, SOMEONE HAS TO HAVE SOME! _

 

He was jogging now, scanning the rooms for Rich and trying to tune everyone else’s minds out.

 

_ PLEASE!  SOMEBODY! _

 

Michael didn’t even notice when he slammed right into Rich.  The shorter boy had a look of immense panic on his face, eyes flickering around the room.

 

“Headphones!  Do you have any Mountain Dew Red?” He asked.

 

_ I NEED THE SQUIP GONE! _

 

“Hold up, Mountain Dew Red gets rid of the Squips?!” Michael grasped Rich’s shoulders tightly.

 

“How did you-?” Michael realized that his conversation with Jeremy accidentally broke him out of his habit of ignoring people’s thoughts during conversations.

 

“Doesn’t matter, we’re gonna go get you some help,” he cut Rich off, but the smaller of the two didn’t seem to care.  Michael grasped his hand tightly, “Just follow me, I can get you some.”

 

“You’re not just fucking with me, right?” Michael shook his head as the two navigated around the crowds.

 

“Of course not,” he said, stepping into the cold air outside, “If you know how to get a Squip out, the we’re going to do it,” turning around, Michael noticed Rich come out of the house with a bottle he nabbed from somewhere, “Do you really wanna keep drinking?” He asked.  Rich, exasperated, sighed.

 

“I can’t stop now, alcohol’s the only thing that’ll keep the Squip at bay,” Michael could see a blob of pixels beginning to take shape over Rich’s shoulder.  He leaned back, chugging the whole bottle in one go before tossing it back into the house as the pixels behind him warped and vanished.  The two walked over to where Michael had parked his car a few hours ago.

 

“I’m gonna take you to my house, once we’re there everything’ll be fine,” Rich nodded.

 

“So, how fast can I get some Mountain Dew Red?” He asked, buckling his seatbelt.

 

“If we’re lucky, sometime tomorrow morning,” fumbling for his phone, Michael rambled off a text to his dealer from Spencer’s, “If we’re not, probably a few weeks, tops,” clutching his head, Rich groaned.

 

“Oh god, please let it be faster than that,” he muttered.  Michael shrugged, pulling the car into the dark street.

 

“There’s nothing else I can do,” he said, watching as the alcohol settled into Rich’s system.  As luck would have it, he was a sleepy drunk and lightweight as shit.  By the time Michael had pulled into his driveway, Rich was snoring in the passenger seat.  Sighing, he lifted the smaller boy out of the vehicle and into the house where he was greeted by one of his moms nervously pacing the floor.  She looked up at him, startled by his unannounced entrance.

 

“Micha-!” He held up a finger and quietly shushed her, gesturing to the sleeping boy in his arms.

 

_ You’ve got some serious explaining to do!  Why were you out so late?! _

 

He sat Rich down on a nearby chair, not that the (very drunk) boy seemed to notice.  Michael sighed, trying to piece together the fastest possible explanation in his mind.

 

_ Who is he?  Why does he smell like alcohol?  Michael, we’ve been worried about you! _

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “He needs a favor and I promised to help him with it in the morning, that’s all,” he turned around.

 

_ Where are you going now?! _

 

“There’s something else I have to do,” he didn’t have time to say a lot, “I’ll explain everything tomorrow morning,” looking back, he could see his other mom walking down the stairs.

 

_ Michael..? _

 

_ Just...be safe, we love you. _

 

“I love you guys too,” smiling, he walked out the front door, determined to get Jeremy the help he needed.

  
  


~~~

  
  


Approaching a house after midnight on Halloween with sirens echoing in the distance is, admittedly, not the smartest thing Michael’s ever done.  But, damn if it wasn’t important.

 

_ Is that smoke? _

 

_ What’s going on? _

 

_ Oh god, that’s a fire! _

 

_ Nine one one, nine one one, shit where’s my phone?! _

 

The thoughts he heard echoing around as he turned the corner were honestly the biggest warning sign that some stuff had gone down.  Though, seeing a house violently burning down is a good indicator for the non-mind readers around that something had happened.  Michael practically flew out of his car, trying desperately to hear Jeremy’s voice.

 

_ Where is everyone?! _

 

“Christine!” Michael called out, racing towards the girl as she violently heaved from the smoke, “Do you know where Jeremy is?”

 

_ Jeremy!  Oh god!  Did he come out of the bathroom- _

 

Without waiting for a verbal answer, Michael kicked down the front door to the house, ignoring the literal hundreds of protests he heard both verbally and mentally.

 

“Jeremy!” He cried out, wincing as flames tore through the carpeting around him.  The interior of the house was nearly blinding. “Jeremy!  Answer me!” A wave of heat came crashing down as a support beam slammed into the ground next to him, sending bursts of sparks and embers into the open air.  The smoke fogged his vision, everything was blurred.  Another beam came crashing down, but he didn’t hear it, all sounds being tuned out by his mind until, finally, the one he wanted to hear most quietly called out.

 

_ Shit!  The handle’s hot!  What do we do?! _

 

“JEREMY!” Michael shouted, racing towards a singed door.

 

_ “Jeremy-”  _ the Squip’s voice was warped and filled with static,  _ “Th-the sm-sm-sm-smoke is messing with my sen-s-s-s-s-sors.” _

 

_ What am I supposed to do??!? _

 

Michael, in a sudden burst of strength, kicked the already-damaged door in.

 

“Mi-!” Jeremy tried to call out to him, but his voice was replaced with violent coughing and heaving.

 

“Don’t bother speaking, let’s just get out of here,” he said, grabbing Jeremy’s hand and pulling him out of the bathroom, “Can you walk?”

 

_ Yes _

 

Without another word, Michael dashed down the hall, pulling Jeremy right alongside him and watching as the Squip glitched in and out of the walls.  The door was in sight, they only had to make it a few feet further when, suddenly, another beam crashed down.  Michael could hear plaster from the ceiling smash into the ground where he had just been standing.

 

Where Jeremy  _ was  _ standing.

 

_ FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, OH FUCK! _

 

Jeremy’s panicked thoughts flooded his mind as he tried to see what had happened.  Wincing, Jeremy tried to pull himself out from where a beam had landed on his right leg a mere few feet away from safety.  He screamed as the fire gnawed away at the damaged wood he was trapped under.

 

“Jeremy!  It’s gonna be okay!” Michael bent over, grabbing the end of the beam that wasn’t on fire yet, “We’re gonna get you out of this and everything’s gonna be okay!”

 

_ OH GOD MICHAEL, YOU IDIOT, GET OUT OF HERE! _

 

“I’m not just gonna leave you here!” Michael protested, holding to the splintered wood like a lifeline.

 

_ YOU HAVE TO, GO GET TO SAFETY! _

 

“I CAN’T LEAVE YOU HERE!” Michael screamed, lifting the beam up a mere few inches and giving Jeremy the room he needed to claw himself out from underneath it, “NO ONE ELSE IS GETTING LEFT BEHIND, NOT YOU, NOT ME, NO ONE!” He shouted, watching Jeremy limp across the burning floor.  Michael dropped the beam with a satisfying  _ thud _ only for his vision to smear.  It took a few seconds for him to realize that he had probably inhaled too much smoke.  He wobbled around, the world swimming beneath his feet as he desperately tried to get both himself and Jeremy out of the collapsing building.  Inch by inch, he fought on to escape the scorching heat.

 

_ There’s still a few kids in there! _

 

He head someone think as he collapsed onto the baked edge of Jake’s doorstep.

  
  


~~~

  
  


To say that his moms were mad about the call from the hospital would be the understatement of the century.  He didn’t end up needing an overnight stay and, after having several splinters removed and his lungs checked, was cleared to go home by the lovely hour of three in the morning.  He looked up to see one of his moms in the hall on the phone with his other, talking about his condition.

 

_ He’s okay, he just wants to stay with Jeremy for a bit, we’ll probably be home by the afternoon at the latest. _

 

The night could’ve gone worse, all things considered.

 

He glanced down at Jeremy.  The poor guy still hadn’t woken up since escaping the house on his hands and knees.  His right leg was suspended above the bed, wrapped in a cast and sling with the promise that, while a bad break, it was still just a few broken bones.  Michael sighed, folding his hands in his lap.

 

“You’re in a world of trouble, young man,” he looked up to see his mom towering over him, scowling, “What happened?!”

 

“I couldn’t just leave him there,” Michael answered.

 

“Did you know about the fire?” He shook his head, “So you couldn’t leave him there for other reasons?”

 

_ What happened?  Did someone start a fight?  Did Jeremy get high?  Oh god, was it one of those parties? _

 

“He called me a freak,” her thoughts were silenced with a single sentence, Michael watched the monitors surrounding Jeremy continuously flash and beep with various bits of information.

 

“That doesn’t sound like Jeremy,” she replied, “Are you sure it wasn’t some-”

 

“He found out,” more silence.  For one in his life, Michael craved the non-stop noise that normally filled his mind.  Instead, all he had was a quiet mind and a few tears trailing down his face, “He found out an-and he…” he sniffled, clutching his head in his hands, “And yet I still ran in after him, I ran into a burning house to save him,” he threw his head back, “I-I just don’t get it.” She ran her hands through his soot-filled hair.

 

“Michael...I,” she started, “I don’t know what to say…”

 

“I know.”

 

“It’s just,” sighing, she hugged him tightly, “This is something you’re going to have to figure out with him, okay?” Slowly, he nodded.

 

“Can we be alone for a bit..?”

 

“Of course,” without another word, he and Jeremy were completely alone again.  Sadly, it wasn’t for long.  After a few mere moments of quiet, a pixelated blur began gathering in the corner of the room.

 

_ “REBOOT COMPLETED, REACTIVATING,”  _ Michael watched as a figure dressed in a suit and trench coat silently emerged from the pixels.

 

“You know,” he started, “You don’t need to pretend that I can’t see you anymore,” the Squip glanced at him, “I know you’ve analyzed the data from tonight,” the computer sighed.

 

_ “I’ll admit, mind reading abilities aren’t something that my programmers accounted for,” _ he replied,  _ “You’re a bit of a rarity, aren’t you?  I’d wager that someone like you is even more rare than a piece of technology like me,” _ Michael ignored his final comments.

 

“Your programmers didn’t seem to account for a lot things regarding me, huh?” The Squip paused.

 

_ “I’m afraid I don’t understand.” _

 

“Optic nerve blocking,” he spat bitterly, “Does  _ that _ ring a bell for you?” The Squip frowned.

 

_ “That was necessary to obtain Jeremy’s goal, however…” _ he smirked,  _ “Now that I am aware of your...abilities, you could prove useful to our ends,” _ Michael flipped him off.

 

“Go fuck yourself,” he countered, “As soon as I get what I need, you’ll be as good as dead,” the Squip frowned again.

 

_ “You figured it out..?” _ The computer almost seemed dumbfounded,  _ “How is that even possible?” _

“Let’s just say, not every Squip user is as happy as you’d like to believe,” Michael shooed him away, “Now get out of here unless you’re planning on helping Jeremy wake back up.”

 

_ “You know,”  _ he started,  _ “Jeremy never took back what he said earlier at the party,”  _ Michael frowned again.

 

“So?  What’s your point?”

 

_ “My point,” _ the cocky machine pretended to straighten the tie he was wearing,  _ “Is that Jeremy told you exactly what you are, so why bother trying to ‘help’ him?” _

 

“I’m his friend, that’s what friends do,” the Squip laughed.

 

_ “Don’t be so sure of yourself.” _

 

“As if you aren’t being a cocky bitch right now,” he merely laughed again.

 

_ “I’m a precision machine with a failure rate of almost zero, I think I’ve earned the right to be a bit cocky,” _ he began fading from sight,  _ “Just remember, Jeremy was speaking honestly earlier, so why bother denying the truth and not start moving on?”  _ He whispered, vanishing, and leaving Michael alone with no noise besides the constant hum of the machinery surrounding Jeremy.  Sighing, Michael stood up and left the room.

  
  


~~~   
  


 

Michael (with a now Squip-less Rich in tow) had made his way back to the hospital before noon the next day.  Hospitals weren’t particularly fun for him to be in, as just walking down the hall usually filled his mind with more than enough thoughts of trauma, but he was more than happy to be there.  Approaching the room, he paused.

 

_ “-ermy, he’s trying to get in the way of our goal,” _ the Squip said on the other side of the door.

 

“He saved my life!  He’s my best friend!  So what if he slows everything down a bit?” Jeremy replied out loud, which Michael mostly only realized because Rich quietly remarked ‘newbie mistake’ to it.

 

_ “If you can convince him to help us, then we don’t have to block him out,” _ the Squip replied,  _ “After all, his abilities could certainly come in handy,” _ Michael felt a wave of thoughts protesting the idea.

 

“We can’t just use him like that!  I really hrt him last night, or did you not notice?” The Squip chuckled.

 

_ “I’m beginning to think you don’t trust me, Jeremy,” _ he stated,  _ “I only want what’s best for you!” _

 

“Well, maybe not taking advantage of my friend is what’s best for me!”

 

_ “Do you really think you know more than me?” _ Michael was  _ really _ not starting to like where this was going,  _ “I was created and designed with the sole purpose of understanding what’s best for you and telling you what to do to get there!  Besides, do you really think Michael will still even want to be your friend?” _

 

“What are you talking about?” The level of concern in Jeremy’s voice was alarming.

 

_ “Remember what you said to him last night?  That wasn’t a very friendly thing to do, now was it?  A real friend would never say something like that,”  _ Michael had had enough and swung the door open.  Both Jeremy and the Squip stared at him.

 

“I was gonna say something dramatic, but I couldn’t think of anything,” he declared, holding up a half-empty bottle of Mountain Dew Red, “But, who cares?  You’re gonna be dead soon anyways!” The Squip snarled at him.

 

_ “You think you can stop me?!”  _ Michael smirked.

 

“Not think, I know I can stop you!”

 

_ “Not so fast, motor skills control, override!” _ Jeremy jolted, his torso briefly spasming.

 

“Rich!” Michael turned to the shorter boy, “The Squip’s taking over Jeremy, can you hold him down?” Rich shrugged.

 

“I have no idea what’s going on, but okay!” He smiled, tightly wrapping his arms around Jeremy.

 

**_“Michael, wait!”_ ** the Squip forced Jeremy to shout,  **_“I can help you!”_ ** Michael glared at him.

 

“Why would I want  _ your _ help?” The Squip smirked.

 

**_“I can give you what you always wanted!”_ ** He declared,  **_“I can fix you, you won’t have to be a freak anymore!  I can give you the silence you’ve always craved,”_ ** he froze, staring at the cocky look the Squip was forcing Jeremy to wear.

 

“You could…” screwing the cap off the bottle, he paused, “You could really fix this..?” Rich’s concerned thoughts crashed down, but Michael ignored them, focusing only on what the Squip had said. “I could...I could be normal?”

 

**_“Of course, Michael,”_ ** came a calming reply,  **_“I can help you,”_ ** the Squip forced Jeremy to hold out his hand,  **_“Just give me the bottle and everything’ll be okay,”_ ** Michael stared down at the aged plastic in his hand.

 

_ Michael!  No!  Don’t trust him!  He’s just using you! _

 

Looking back up, Michael saw the smile still on Jeremy’s face.

 

It looked fake.

 

_ Look, I’m so sorry about last night and everything else I’ve done lately, but please, whatever you do, don’t listen to him!  It’s not worth it! _

 

**_“Just give me the bottle and you can be happy,”_ ** the Squip said, still holding Jeremy’s hand out.  Michael looked at the red liquid sloshing around the plastic.

 

“Hey, Jeremy..?”

 

_ Michael, no! _

 

**_“Yes, Michael?”_ ** Michael smiled.

 

“Sorry if this hurts.”

 

_ Wait- _

 

**_“Wha-”_ ** Michael jammed the bottle into Jeremy’s mouth, tilting his head back and forcing him to drink.

  
  


~~~

  
  


Jeremy was discharged from the hospital later that day, carrying only a pair of crutches, a headache, and a lot of guilt.

 

“Calm down, you apologized already!” Michael groaned.

 

“Yeah, mentally!” Jeremy protested, setting the crutches next to him as he buckled his seatbelt, “And it was rushed, you deserve better,” Michael brushed him off, starting the car.

 

“I’ll be fine,” he said, “If anyone deserves better, it’s you, I should’ve warned you about Squips.”

 

_ Michael, just fucking accept the apology. _

 

Michael sighed.

 

“Fine, apology accepted,” Jeremy shrieked.

 

“Not till I say it out loud, smart ass!” Michael laughed, “Look, man, I’m sorry that I’ve been such a dick lately, I never should’ve said that stuff to you last night,” they both sighed.

 

“We good?” Michael asked.

 

“We are,” Jeremy answered.

 

“Hey, uh, quick question,” Rich piped up from the back seat.

 

“Yeah?” Michael asked.

 

_ What the fuck is going on? _

 

“What the fuck is going on?” Michael laughed.  He might have voices in his head, but he’d take those over a nosy supercomputer any day.

**Author's Note:**

> That took me a few weeks to write. I will be writing more for this universe, but I have a few other BMC AUs in store...


End file.
